Hello, Crossroads Family !
Thanks for your understanding and patience last Sunday with the need to cancel in-person worship. I felt like God gave us a special blessing through worship and a sermon on Facebook ! Those videos are still available on the Crossroads Facebook page. I hope you were blessed.
There’s nothing like being together in person, and we’re planning on that this coming Sunday morning at 10:00. I hope to see you there ! Children’s Church will be available during the sermon for those 0-7 years old, and the 8-13 year-olds Bible Class will also meet this Sunday during the sermon.
You know by now that there’s a lot going on at Crossroads and a lot about to happen once we turn the page from January to February. I’m excited about it, and I hope you’ll find one or more ways of plugging in and helping us all grow in an ever-deepening relationship with God and with each other. Let someone around you know about the good time we’re having at Crossroads.
There will be sign-ups at the church this Sunday for these four upcoming activities :
- Immerse
- Women’s Breakfast & Bible Study
- Food to bring for a February 22nd fellowship meal
- Bible Quiz teams for the Bible Quiz Night
For these activities, we need to have a sense in advance of numbers of people, and in at least two of the activities books need to be ordered. So please sign up or contact the person in charge (Immerse : Forrest Drury ; Women : Erin Townsend ; Fellowship Meal : Bryan Townsend ; Bible Quiz : Clayson Lyons). Thank you !
Calendar
Here’s that calendar ! We would love — if you’re new to Crossroads or if it has been a while since you participated — that you would consider connecting this semester !
Immerse : Poets — Join us starting February 11 for Immerse: Poets, a 12-week group experience that reads the Bible like a book—without chapters and verses. This class is more like a book club than a Bible study, focused on reading large sections of Scripture and discussing them together as a community. Join us as we discover how God’s story invites us to live out our part in His plan.
Women’s Breakfast & Bible Study begins Saturday, February 14, 8:00-9:15. In addition to great weekly fellowship with other women, the study this semester will be in the Gospel of Luke, using Lisa Harper’s book Luke : Gut-Level Compassion.
Men’s Recharge (a monthly gathering for fellowship and growth for men) begins on Thursday, February 19, at the church, 6:30-8:00 pm. Over the course of 2026, we’ll study several disciplines all Christian men should be practicing. And we’ll develop some action plans for making these good habits realities in our lives. “Practice what you preach” will be the theme.
Fellowship Meal — We’re planning to eat together following worship on Sunday, February 22, and we’re asking everyone to bring food to share. Bryan Townsend is helping us organize and will have a sign-up at church this Sunday with ideas for food to bring. In an effort to keep the room from being too crowded, we’re not going to set up tables for the meal. We’ll eat on our laps, picnic style, so keep that in mind when you think of food you want to bring. Thank you !
Baby Bottle Boomerang — The baby bottles filled with change to support Birthright of Nevada are due back to Kim Reedy by Sunday, February 22. Thank you !
Bible Quiz Night — Our Bible Quiz will be a night for the entire church to enjoy, whether you’ll be competing on a team or just rooting others on ! Snacks, fellowship, and interaction with some friends and teams from other area churches. Saturday evening, March 28. Please sign up to be on a team or let Clayson know !
Easter Cantata — We have enough interest and volunteers to begin planning a special cantata for Easter Sunday ! We’ve ordered books and will need to start practicing soon since Easter is a lot closer than you think ! If you’re interested in joining this Easter choir but haven’t yet let Jessica know, please reach out to her soon and let her know you’ll be a part. There’s room for you, and (best of all) no auditions needed ! 
It’s going to be a lot of fun ! Be listening for information about practice times. Thank you !
In addition to all this, please know that your 2025 Giving Statement will be available at the church this Sunday. Be sure to pick yours up, and if you’re not there this Sunday we’ll drop yours in the mail to you.
Personal Thoughts
These few days of school being closed have reminded me that leaving the high school and beginning full-time at Crossroads later this year will be an adjustment for me. I’m grateful for the extra time I’ve had this week, but it’s hard to change routines, isn’t it ? One of the best things about being a full-time pastor will be to have again sufficient time to think and study in preparation for preaching and times of counsel with others. That’s something I need badly but have been short on due to a busy school schedule. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to full-time ministry, later this year, Lord willing !
Some ways that God blesses me are through the one-on-one or small-group meetings I get to have with some of you each week. It’s a source of energy and keeps me focused. We need personal accountability and times to learn from others, don’t we ? I hope you’re finding that kind of spiritual interaction too. What’s a creative way you could connect with someone in the church this week or next ?
Our elders have committed to two significant additions to their schedule this year. One is to build stronger ties as a team by sharing a meal together occasionally. A second is to meet once a quarter for a study session. At our next meeting we’re going to discuss some possible topics for our four study sessions in 2026. Here are some ideas I’m hoping to propose :
— Church Membership.
This has already been a topic of discussion, so we now want to take time to explore it more fully. What is church membership ? Where does the idea come from ? The Bible ? Elsewhere ? How does the Evangelical Free Church typically approach church membership ?
— Men & Women in Ministry
Occasionally, someone new to Crossroads asks a question about our practices concerning men’s and women’s roles in ministry. This would be a worthwhile discussion.
— Spiritual Gifts
What does the Evangelical Free Church, and what do we, believe about spiritual gifts as outlined in the Bible ? Can we be better at helping people use their gifts ?
— Small Group ministry. (Home Groups, Life Groups, … etc.)
You know my feeling that a healthy future for Crossroads depends on these kinds of small groups, meeting most likely in homes, facilitating deep relationships and allowing all members of the church to serve, provide accountability, and grow.
— Three other possible study topics on my mind : What is the purpose and role of water baptism ? What is the Evangelical Free Church of America ? What is biblical eldership ?
I’m grateful for our elders’ willingness to study and grow. I’m sure the entire church will be impacted by our four studies, whether they be on these subjects or others. Thanks for your prayers for our Crossroads elders !
——-
I’ve found that in addition to reading and meditating on God’s Word, I need a pretty regular diet of good Christian books in order to walk joyfully and serve well. I don’t read quickly, and ordinarily I have three or four books going at a time, so I make slow progress. But I’m thankful for the teachings of Christian men and women who took the time to write ! Here are some books I’ve started this new year :
— Daily Light on the Daily Path, compiled by the Samuel Bagster family
This book is a simple compilation of Scriptures for morning and evening for each day of the year. Each morning or evening’s reading takes less than a minute to read. The theme of each compilation isn’t given ; it simply becomes evident as you read it. I don’t have any idea who the Samuel Bagster family is, but they did an amazing job in finding beautiful threads of uplifting themes in the Bible. They speak profoundly to the heart upon rising and just before going to sleep.
— Prayer, Praise & Promises : A Daily Walk Through the Psalms, by Warren Wiersbe
You know I love the psalms, and I’ve been reading Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019) as long as I’ve been in ministry. One of the best books of his I have in the library is Preaching & Teaching With Imagination. I love the love way Wiersbe finds things in the Word I often miss.
— All Things Are Possible : Meditations on Biblical Prayers for God’s Help, by Daniel Partner
I got hooked on Daniel Partner’s little devotional books by reading one he wrote for Advent. The entries are short but always profound. This one is specifically a compilation of prayers for “HELP !” that are found in the Bible. Partner is from Oregon where some of my kids live, so although I don’t know him, I can imagine him (and them !) there.
— 40 Questions About Angels, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare, by John R. Gilhooly
I heard this professor speak on this topic on a podcast recently, and it was one of the best discussions I’ve heard on the subject. I was grateful for his willingness to admit that there’s a lot about angels and demons we’re really not told in the Bible. And he makes the assertion that some of what we call spiritual warfare is not really from the Bible but from culture and popular opinion. I’m excited to make more progress in this book.
Finally, yesterday I did also pick up, for a re-read, Elisabeth Elliot’s story of her husband Jim called Shadow of the Almighty. Jim Elliot and four other missionaries were killed 70 years ago this month attempting to bring the Gospel to people living in the jungles of Ecuador.
In the introduction to that book, Elisabeth Elliot raises a question as to whether or not we have heroes today. It gave me a chance to ask myself, “Do I have any heroes ? Who are they, or who were they ?” My dad is one who comes to mind. I didn’t appreciate him as I should have while he was alive. Now that he’s gone (and I’ve learned more about life myself), I see that he was not only a great model but truly a hero. I would also say my kids have been my heroes. They’ve joyfully and willingly gone through a lot in their life and, for what it’s worth, have stuck by their old dad through thick and thin !
I’ve been blessed by many mentors — maybe the word “hero” is too strong, but certainly people whose influence changed me. I’m grateful, and I hope it will be an encouragement to you, as you influence people around you, to not grow weary in loving and serving others.
“Therefore, remain steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58).
I hope to see you this Sunday !
— Tom
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